(02-18-2011 01:05 PM)niuhuskie84 Wrote: Have YOU been around those areas recently? Area around United Center...not great, but the West Loop and West Town neighborhoods which directly surround it have experienced phenomenal growth and rebirth. Still dicey, but vastly improved from the mid-late 90s.
I used to have a condo in Ukranian Village, right by Eckart Park, in the late 90's. (Realtor said it was Wicker Park. Ya right.)
I could see the United Center from my roof deck. I would drive Division to get downtown right through Cabrini Green without a second though, a couple times even taking some side street to get around an issue of some sort. No concerns, but the door did get locked.
So while I had zero concern in my immediate neighborhood, even I was afraid of the area surrounding the United Center.
True story.
I was once traveling south on Damen to get to the Ike to head back to my new place in Aurora. It was late, maybe around 3am but I was coming down from Roscoe Village and it was the most direct route.......
I had a green light, and out of the corner of my left eye I saw a late model grey car slowly moving, but at a steady rate of speed, through his red light into the my intersection.
Knowing the area I was in, and the time it was, I didn't honk or be an asss, I just let the dude go through and cut me off. Well he didn't turn south, but instead slowly cruised through the intersection and crashed into a light pole. As I drove by, I checked over my right should and there was a dude slumped over the wheel, and the driver's side window was busted out.......
Never figured out the who what why when and where of what happened, but I pretty sure I saw a dead guy shot through his car window.